GOP Field for Governor Could be Growing
Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva)
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DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick has had the GOP race for Governor in 2026 to himself since March, but he may be getting company soon.
Multiple sources say Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) has been “making calls” and told multiple colleagues during the final weeks of the legislative session that he was considering a run for governor next year.
Ugaste, an Assistant Minority Leader in the House, was first elected to the chamber in 2018. He’s an attorney and has been a leading Republican voice on state spending and taxes in recent years.
Ugaste did not return a message seeking comment.
“I think he wants to do it,” one Republican insider said. “I think it’s just a matter of finding a path to winning the nomination.”
Another incumbent Republican, conservative Freedom Caucus member Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) has also been seen as a potential candidate next year in the mold of his political ally and 2022 GOP nominee for governor Darren Bailey.
Sources say Wilhour still has a potential candidacy “under consideration.”
Meanwhile, a group of Republican lawmakers have been attempting to recruit political commentator Ted Dabrowski to enter the race. Dabrowski, a longtime banking executive and former Illinois Policy Institute staffer is currently President of the media organization “Wirepoints.”
Dabrowski declined to comment Monday.
One of the lawmakers attempting to recruit Dabrowski, Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Edwards) called Dabrowski a “generational candidate.”
“Ted Dabrowski is an unconventional candidate for Governor, no doubt about it,” Weaver said. “But the more people learn about him, the more they’ll be drawn to him. He has never been a political candidate, yet he is more familiar with Illinois’ challenges, and the solutions to those challenges, than many in elected office.”
Weaver said he’s been recruiting Dabrowski for months.
Cook County GOP Chairman Aaron Del Mar, a member of the Illinois GOP Central Committee, says he’s still considering a run for governor. Former RNC National Committeeman Richard Porter previously said he’s deciding between running for governor or U.S. Senate next year.
